Primarily as a thought out element UI library. Just like Bootstrap.
Proprietary Software is a Trap - My Developer Journey
After decades in this industry, I keep seeing the same pattern. And I finally have a name for it: The Proprietary Trap.
How it works:
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Build amazing tools developers love
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Get them to invest years learning, building businesses, creating dependencies
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Slowly shift from ownership to rental
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Change terms, raise prices, deprecate features
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Developers are trapped: too invested to leave, too squeezed to stay
RapidWeaver caught me. FileMaker caught me. Perpetual licenses that turned into monthly ransoms. Features that became paywalled. Formats that locked my data away.
The alternative: Build on open standards.
I escaped to PHP/MySQL. Built Xanadu. Then used those same principles to rebuild campsoftware.com, giving others the same freedom:
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MySQL database ( world’s most popular open-source DB)
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PHP modules (standard web tech, won’t disappear)
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Source code included (actually yours, forever)
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No proprietary formats (data moves anywhere)
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Transparent pricing (no traps, no surprises)
For developers looking at FileMaker or Xojo: ask yourself not just “what does this cost now” but “what happens when they change the terms?”
Xanadu is built on a simple promise: the code is yours. The data is yours. The tool won’t turn against you.
Check it out: https://campsoftware.com/products/xanadu/
Questions about escaping proprietary traps welcome.
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You should use PostgreSQL instead of mySQL
mySQL still has a proprietary license when used "in “for profit” scenarios
PostgreSQL is free for ANY use
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By the way in my eyes Postgres is the better choice cause of it’s technical functionality.
Beside the licensing crap of mySQL
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I was focusing more on not being locked in than on being open source.
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I agree that Postgres is preferable to MySQL, not just in terms of licensing and due to Oracle’s enshittification of the product, but also IMO just technically superior and more performant. But I’d also argue that any platform lib would need to accommodate developer client preferences by supporting, at minimum Postgres, Sql Server, MySql, MariaDB, SqlLite and arguably Oracle (yuck) and I suppose generic ODBC. By which I mean that any DB abstractions should work across those different back ends.
This is a fairly big ask for a small dev or dev team, depending on how you support databases.
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I used to be a firm MySQL user/believer. I’ve been in Postgres land for 6 years and recently been working on moving a fully functioning MySQL db to Postgres. There are things that Postgres does that MySQL does not. And it’s pickier about its data like timestamps having timezones, true booleans, etc. And because it’s pickier it’s case sensitive both in queries and string comparisons.
All in all, I think Postgres is a superior database. Not quite as user friendly to get going in it, though. If you ever want to get into GIS, or vector data, all those things are very easily added with Postgres and not as easy with MySQL (though I’m sure they are possible).
And the licensing is clear and non-confusing.
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I’d guess that Hal could use PostgreSQL fairly easily with the PHP code in Xanadu
I figured it wouldnt be that hard
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And for what Xanadu is doing I doubt Postgres would make much difference.
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Like my parents always told me
Make good choices in life
Pick PostgreSQL 
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That’s why I use MariaDB 
Maria is only free under some circumstances and can require a license in some (kind of like mySQL did) see this LONG FAQ which isnt required by PostreSQL since its free to use for ANY PURPOSE
PostgreSQL is free for ANY use
its right in their license
PostgreSQL is released under the PostgreSQL License, a liberal Open Source license, similar to the BSD or MIT licenses.
PostgreSQL Database Management System
(also known as Postgres, formerly as Postgres95)
Portions Copyright © 1996-2026, The PostgreSQL Global Development Group
Portions Copyright © 1994, The Regents of the University of California
Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its documentation for any purpose, without fee, and without a written agreement is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph and the following two paragraphs appear in all copies.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BE LIABLE TO ANY PARTY FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE AND ITS DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE SOFTWARE PROVIDED HEREUNDER IS ON AN “AS IS” BASIS, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA HAS NO OBLIGATIONS TO PROVIDE MAINTENANCE, SUPPORT, UPDATES, ENHANCEMENTS, OR MODIFICATIONS.
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The entire point is: both, MariahDB and MYSQL are more commercial than open source projects. Oracle did not aquired MYSQL while they like to provide a product like that for free. They want to make money from every of their products. and PostGres is an open source not commercial product at all. It’s history is not commercial and it’s future is also not.
MariaDB is licensed under GPL (with parts under LGPL), so it is generally free to use.
That said, MariaDB and PostgreSQL follow quite different architectural approaches, especially regarding clustering.
MariaDB (like MySQL) offers native primary-replica setups and for more complex cluster scenarios, Galera, which provides a native multi-master setup with synchronous replication. This is essential for high-availability enterprise scenarios. @thorstenstueker is correctly pointing in that direction.
PostgreSQL, on the other hand, is designed around a single-writer model with streaming replication. Multi-master setups are technical possible, but typically rely on 3rd party extensions/ tooling.
So it’s less about one being “better” and more about different design trade-offs depending on the use case.
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Both are, or can be, set up as enterprise grade high-availability enterprise DB’s
Certainly how you get there is different
One however is 100% free
The other may not be
That was why I suggested PostrgreSQL to HAL since, IMHO, its gives me more “freedom” as a client and customer than mySQL/mariaDB
As Thorsten pointed out Oracle didnt buy mySQL to make no money
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